Desire for Wealth

Goal-setting is a method to monitor and keep track of your progress towards a big objective. Whenever you want to achieve certain goals, you would draft out a plan. This plan holds a series of steps on how to accomplish the mission.

Here is a simple 6-step process to create and achieve your goals.

Step #1: Goals should be specific, realistic, attainable, measurable and time-based. Between “Losing weight” and “Losing 50 pounds in the next six months”, I am sure the latter sentence is more objective-oriented and specific.

You can measure your progress and determine success or failure. The goal is attainable provided that you craft a diet and exercise plan and stick to it. It is certainly realistic, yet challenging. This goal is time-based as it must be accomplished within the next year.

Step #2: Craft an Action Plan. You will need a plan to achieve your goals. List all of the steps necessary for you to successfully reach all of your goals. Listing goals are useless unless you know specifically how to achieve them.

Step #3: Create milestones. In your action plan, list milestones that will help you track your progress. In the weight loss example, you can choose to create a milestone on every fifteen days. So you can track how much weight you will lose by that date.

Step #4: Solicit support. It is very difficult to do it alone. You will need help in attaining your goals. List all the people who can help and what you will do to solicit their support. And remember, relationships go both ways. Make certain that you are helping as much as you are getting help.

Step #5: Be flexible and plan for contingencies. Unexpected situations do happen. If possible, you should have a contingency plan and be flexible. If an injury forces you to stop exercising for a few weeks, accept the reality and move on.

A contingency plan might be to consume less calories since you will not be burning them off. You can at least maintain your weight while you are recovering and then start the fat burning phase once your injury is healed.

Step #6: Track your progress. Be diligent and make certain that you are measuring against your milestones. If you did not reach a milestone, you would want to catch up on the next milestones. Change your strategy, if you must, to get back on track. Whatever you do, do not lose hope. If you failed to reach a milestone, stay positive and move forward.

These six steps seem very basic but most do not follow through on all six steps. I am as guilty as anyone. Nevertheless, I wish you success in 2008.